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Successful product design involves learning from other designs which have features similar to the ones you want in your product.
You also need to be able to evaluate the quality of your product and to understand how to maintain quality throughout the design and manufacturing stage.
Approaching design
It is important that you, the designer, are able to identify the features of a product that make it either a success or failure.
The first stage of design of a new product involves studying other products with similar or desirable features, through identification [identification: the investigation of a product to discover a) the price range, b) the intended user, and c) its function and features ], analysisanalysis: The examination of a problem and breaking it down into parts. and evaluation [evaluation: making judgements on the effectiveness of the product and its 'fitness for purpose'. ].
This process helps the designer in a number of ways:
- It avoids copying other designers' work (this is called plagiarism).
- It identifies features or aspects of existing products which could be improved - such as by reducing the cost, adding extra features, making it easier or more comfortable to use or making it look more attractive to certain groups.
- It can identify technologies or ideas which could be transferred or applied to a new function or area.
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